BERKLEY — It will be a true community effort this Thanksgiving when the Berkley Community Church presents a free dinner for needy local families in honor of “turkey day.”

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 26, the inaugural dinner will be held at the Berkley Community Center, 2400 Robina Ave., with help from an array of Berkley seniors, students and resident volunteers. According to Adam Groh, teaching pastor at the Berkley Community Church, it’s all a part of the church’s Live to Serve “compassion campaign,” which will run from Thanksgiving through Christmas.

“We’re just trying to feed as many people as possible,” he said. “The reality of the economy is that a lot of people are struggling to put food on the table right now. That’s why we started the Live to Serve campaign, and it has inspired a lot of people to put their faith into action.”

The event was proposed by the Rev. Peter Carlson after the free annual Thanksgiving dinner provided by the local convenience store Mr. J’s Deli and Liquor had to be canceled this year.

Although the meal will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, the church looks to feed as many as 200 people. The turkeys will be prepared by a number of church volunteers and funded by students from Anderson Middle School, whose Turkey Trot event on Nov. 25 will reimburse the church for its expenses in purchasing dozens of traditional Thanksgiving birds.

“We thought this would be a great opportunity to get our kids involved in the community,” said Diane Barrett, life skills and health teacher at Anderson.

For the Turkey Trot, all participating sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students will contribute a minimum of $3 toward the cause and also will have the opportunity to take part in a morning of fun events at school. Kids will rotate between three different stations where they can walk around the school track, enjoy cider and doughnuts, and flex their creative muscles with an arts and crafts project. There, students will create turkeys and autumn leaves out of construction paper and also wrap boxes for the school’s holiday gift-giving program.

Later, some students will travel to the Community Center with Assistant Principal Jim Cowdrey to help decorate the facility before the big dinner. The colorful fall leaves from the Turkey Trot will be used to adorn all the tablecloths, while the paper turkeys will be hung up on the walls.

Barrett was proud that Anderson could take part. “I think it’s a great endeavor,” she said. “This could be very important for needy people and for people in the community who are alone on Thanksgiving, like some of our seniors. … It’s really generous to give up your own time on such an important family holiday.”

A number of members from Berkley Parks and Recreation’s senior program will also lend a hand. The seniors are providing all of the side dishes and desserts for the meal, as well as the plates, cups and plastic ware. Meanwhile, the Community Center staff and volunteers will help to run the event in collaboration with church members.

According to Parks and Recreation Manager Tom Colwell, the Community Center has received so much support from volunteers that it has had to start turning some people away.

“It’s all been coming together pretty well,” he said. “That has been great to see because this is definitely something that’s needed right now. It’s certainly an event that we hope to continue in the future. Our motto in Berkley is ‘We care,’ and that has always proven to be true during my time here.”

The day after Thanksgiving, a handful of Berkley businesses will also be joining in the holiday spirit by working with the Berkley Community Church on a canned food and toy drive. At Hiller’s Market, Bagger Dave’s, the Blarney Stone, Catching Fireflies and Dandelions Children’s Consignment, there will be collection boxes where residents can drop off non-perishable food items and new children’s toys for local families in need. Each location will also be collecting monetary donations for the church’s Live to Serve campaign.

“We’re all feeling the pinch of the recession right now, so the holidays are not going to be the same as they have in the past,” said Connie Smith, co-owner of Dandelions. “We’re just trying to do as much as we can to help out the community. It’s part of human nature to be compassionate and lend a hand, but I think sometimes people just don’t know how to do it. This will hopefully point them in the right direction.”

For Groh and others at the Berkley Community Church, the local response for the Thanksgiving dinner has been nothing short of overwhelming. Groh pointed out that the church has already lined up its target goal of 50 volunteers for the big day, and there are plenty of others who are standing by just in case.

“We’ve seen such a great outpouring of support,” he said. “We were trying to spur people on to really get involved in this, and it’s been amazing how many people have been willing to help out. Everyone’s just excited to live out their faith and give some people a nice home-cooked meal.”

For more information about the Berkley Community Church’s free Thanksgiving dinner, call (248) 544-2052 or (248) 837-8202.